Chapter 29

King Gans got up from his throne, he was short but what he lacked in height he made up for in bulk. He was dressed in leather that stretched to contain his stocky figure and was a shade of green so dark that it was almost black and silver rings spotted upon each of his fingers. He had a silver crown on his head shaped like miniature antlers and as he moved the two men beside his throne who were dressed in a slightly lighter shade of green leather compared to the King moved in unison beside him.

King Gans observed the screaming Red priest sprawled upon the floor with narrow eyes that were practically slits. He scratched at a stubble of white hair upon his square jawed face and as he tilted his head from side to side Ishar spotted a silver earring on his right ear. The silver upon the King was highlighted by his hairstyle which was unique in that Ishar had never seen it before on a Talisi. The King's white hair was long but shaved on either side of the head in a barbaric fashion leaving a tuft of hair running along the middle of his scalp.

Ishar suddenly felt the weight of two gauntleted hands on his shoulders, he turned his head and found the two towering guards from outside standing on either side with their hands on him. They stood still with their heads facing towards the King. Ishar heard shuffling behind him and he confirmed that Kenne and Sergeant Goki had joined the ensemble. "THE MAD KING IS HERE! THE MAD KING IS HERE!.." The Red priest continued screaming. King Gans walked over to the prostrated man and lifted him off the ground with one thick muscled arm.

"What mad King? Has Vayin gone mad? " King Gans asked, his voice was calm yet it carried with it a hint of command that it presumably rarely lacked. The Red priest continued screaming the same words while dangling from King Gans's grip on his robes. The King raised his other hand and delivered two slaps on either of the screaming Priest's cheeks that shut him up.

"By noon tomorrow the Binorians will be here, my scouts have already confirmed this. Will you make sense of your visions or will you blubber like an imbecile? I want to know what you've seen Chief Priest!" King Gans said but his words fell on deaf ears, the Chief priest started sobbing uncontrollably then he started screaming the same words repeatedly.

King Gans delivered another slap that silenced the priest then he let go of the man who dropped to the ground like a sack of galiu meal. As the priest hit the ground so did a dark pouch fall off him, opening and spilling its contents which were blue tipped sepia fingers and vials of dark liquid. Ishar stiffened at the sight of the Kolotian fingers, he let out a howl of rage and everyone turned their eyes to him including the King who seemed not to have noticed him until then.

Ishar reached for the hilt of the large sword on the right side of the guard who stood to his left. He withdrew the sword from its scabbard with both hands faster than the guard could react. Ishar didn't care about the weight of the sword or the weight of the consequences one may face for drawing a blade in the presence of a King. Ishar felt pain that could only be translated to rage, he wanted to act and he wanted to deliver a lesson similar to the one he'd given his Cheke. King Gans tilted his head at Ishar in mild surprise as if viewing a puppy attempting to roar.

Ishar howled once more and lifted the sword with both hands, his aim, the Red priest lying on the ground who was staring at him wide eyed. But before Ishar could act further he felt a presence coming towards him from behind, its intentions were not to cause him harm but to hinder his objective. Ishar dived to the left, pulling the guard on the right with him who got speared to the ground by Sergeant Goki whose initial aim was to take down Ishar. The guard on the left regained his footing and made as if to punch Ishar but Ishar ducked at the same time swinging the sword in a wide arc that struck the guard at the temple of his helmet with the flat of the blade. The guard lost his grip on Ishar and the boy sprinted towards the priest with the weight of the large sword dragging behind him.

"THE MAD KING!" The priest screamed while pointing at an oncoming Ishar. Ishar raised the sword once more when he was several steps from the priest but he felt something coming towards him from behind. He turned his head slightly to see Goki, Kenne, Mairek, Memo, Nohj and the two guards sprinting towards him, they were a few steps away. He looked ahead of him and saw the two guys in leather who mirrored the King's movement, stepping in front of the King to shield him from any supposed attack from Ishar.

He had mere seconds, he was too far from the priest and there wasn't enough time to reach him. The Kolotian fingers were scattered upon the floor, a symbol of the oppression his people had undergone all in the name of a deity who wanted to see an end to them. A small smile played on his face as he mastered his strength, the men coming from behind him were inches away, the gauntleted hand of one of the guards reached out to him as the guard dived towards him. Ishar threw the sword into the air just as he got barreled to the ground by seven men.

They piled on top of him and he felt crushed by their weight, still, the smile didn't leave his face. He'd felt it more than seen it all play out as he'd let go of the sword, flinging it into the air, sending it arcing across the distance he couldn't have covered in time. He didn't need to look to see the aftermath of his action, the expressions of all those around him and on top of him spoke volumes. "By the Gods Ishar! What have you done!" Mairek exclaimed.

The rest of the men got off Ishar but the two guards didn't, pinning his hands to the small of his back with their weight. Ishar titled his head on the ground and looked at the direction of the Red priest. His smile stretched in width revealing white teeth. The Red priest lay on the ground in a pool of blood, the large sword stuck out of him, it had sunk halfway into his neck and blood was jetting out of his gaping wound like a fountain.

"Entrail Seer, explain this." Ishar could hear King Gans's voice but he didn't bother to look at the man, instead his eyes remained glued on the dead priest, a man who'd died by his hand. Ishar knew that a part of him was crying out against what he'd done, that it was pointing out the immorality contained in taking a life. But why does it feel so good? He wondered. Yes he had taken a life but something else spoke to him, telling him the necessity of his actions, telling him that it won't be the last time he'd kill.

"Your majesty," Ishar heard Kenne's croaky voice. "The Kolotian boy has been marked by the Gods and the entrails speak of him."

"He has just killed the Chief Red priest!" The King said. "HE HAS DRAWN A WEAPON IN MY PRESENCE!"

"You.. Your.. Your majesty... Uuuh.. Bird droppings.. The egg.. The entrails were lined.. Li....lined blue and amber and violet... And the sword.. Gods!" Kenne seemed to scramble for a reply, his words becoming incoherent as he felt the oncoming wrath of the King.

"Guards!" The King called. Ishar felt the weight of the guards on him shift as they turned their attention towards King Gans. "Have the Kolotian in chains, he will lead the procession tomorrow as we meet with the Binorians. I am sure a Kolotian gift to them on top of five thousand Talisi women will be enough to satisfy their greed."

"But sire, the boy has been marked by the Gods and-" Kenne started.

"WHAT GODS?" King Gans screamed, the calm that once followed his voice was replaced with burning rage. "WHAT GODS? THE GODS ARE DEAD! ONLY MEENA LIVES! THE BINORIANS ARE A TESTAMENT TO THIS!" A short stunned silence ensued. "Only Meena remains. I don't care what your entrails showed you, the Kolotian will be an extra sacrifice for the preservation of Talisi." Shortly after, Ishar was led out of the King's tent with chains linking his wrists and ankles but that did nothing to deter the smile spread out across his face.

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